The Obamas observe a moment of silence on the eighth anniversary of 9/11: The White House has issued guidelines for the upcoming 10th anniversary that are rankling conservatives. CC BY: The White House

August 31, 2011

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The White House has issued guidelines to federal employees urging them to mark the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks not only by honoring the dead, reports The New York Times, but also by pointing out that Islamist terrorists have struck other countries, too. One official said the administration wants to signal to the world that "we realize that 9/11 — the attacks themselves and violent extremism writ large — is not 'just about us.'" Is that the message we should be sending?

And this is no different than George W. Bush's position: It's easy to understand why some object to shifting the focus from the victims, says Ed Morrissey at Hot Air. But it's also worth pointing out that President Obama is just echoing sentiments George W. Bush expressed from the start. Bush never failed to remind America that people from many nations died in the attacks, and that the events of 9/11 weren't only an attack on the U.S., but the entire free world."WH guidelines on 9/11 anniversary emphasize not 'just about us'"